Client-server communications networks commonly provide location services, which enable users to access information regarding the physical locations of potential destinations (e.g., business entities, local attractions, and other points of interest). Location services include, for example, point-of-interest search services, mapping services, and navigation services, to name a few. Generally, a user of a client device may obtain information through a location service by initiating an instance of a location service application on the client device, and inputting parameters describing the desired location information through the user interface. The location service application may then formulate a request for the information, and the client device may send the request to a network server. The network server may then obtain the requested information (e.g., through some other service provider) and return it to the client device.
Although the format of returned location information may differ, it typically includes one or more data entities that contain geographical information describing one or more physical locations. Such a location data entity may more particularly include, for example, an address and/or geographical coordinates (e.g., a latitude-longitude pair) pertaining to a physical location of a potential destination entity. A location data entity may include other information as well, such as a name and/or telephone number of a destination entity, for example. On the client device, the location service application may evaluate a returned location data entity and may cause portions of the information contained in the location data entity to be rendered on the client device.
For example, a cellular telephone user may want to obtain location information for all gas stations within a five mile radius of the telephone's current position. To obtain the desired information, the user may invoke an instance of a search application on his telephone, and may enter search parameters through the user interface (e.g., business type: gas station; search radius: five miles of current position). The search application may format and initiate transmission of a corresponding request through the network. The network may then, in turn, obtain one or more items of location-related information, and return the location-related information to the telephone. The location-related information may include, for example, the name and location of a geographical entity (e.g., a business, residence, or other point-of-interest) that meets the search criteria. The location-related information may include other information as well, such as a telephone number corresponding to the geographical entity. Using the given example, the location-related information may include the name and address of each gas station within a five mile radius, along with their telephone numbers. The search application may then cause a map to be rendered on the telephone (or may invoke a mapping application to do so), along with depictions of the gas stations pinpointed. The user may then perform some action based on the information, such as calling one of the represented gas stations, and/or initiating a navigation application to provide navigation instructions to one of the represented gas stations, for example.
Information regarding user actions performed based on received location-related information may be valuable to various parties. For example, a service provider who provided the location-related information and/or a business entity represented by a location-related information may be interested in knowing whether a user took some action based on the provided information. This knowledge may enable the service provider and/or business entity better to understand user behavior, and/or may present monetization opportunities, for example. Currently, however, there is no systematic mechanism for determining, with respect to location-related information provided to a user, whether any user action was taken or what that user action may have been. Accordingly, what are needed are methods and apparatus for a system to obtain information regarding actions that a user has taken with respect to location-related information provided to the user. Other features and characteristics of the inventive subject matter will become apparent from the subsequent detailed description and the appended claims, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and this background.